John Carpenter Hails This Paranoid Psychological Thriller That’s Free to Stream as “Amazing”
John Carpenter cut his teeth on the classic black-and-white pictures of yesteryear. Accordingly, many of the Assault on Precinct 13 director’s favorite films are from that era. He’s previously expressed much love for titles like Double Indemnity, Kiss Me Deadly, and The Third Man. Not to mention, he’s routinely listed Only Angels Have Wings as his favorite film of all time. So, it comes as no surprise to see Carpenter championing another standout from that era in a new video for the Turner Classic Movies channel. That’s right, Carpenter partnered with the cable network on a promotional clip spotlighting a couple of recommendations from their current lineup. His second pick (following The Asphalt Jungle) is the celebrated George Cukor psychological thriller, Gaslight.
“Gaslight, 1944,” Carpenter’s endorsement begins. “Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer. Amazing movie, and an amazing performance by Ingrid Bergman. Oh, god. What a dish. Oooh. She was beautiful, and a great, great actress.”
The film, based on the play Gas Light by Patrick Hamilton, follows Paula (Bergman), an aspiring opera singer, as she moves to Italy to perfect her craft. She soon falls in love with Gregory (Boyer). The pair ultimately makes their way to London together, where Paula is plagued by inexplicable events that leave her questioning her own sanity. She ultimately begins to suspect that Gregory may be up to something truly sinister.
Now that you know that Carpenter is a fan of the film, you’re probably asking yourself where you can find it in the wild. Well, naturally, you can catch the flick on TCM’s linear channel. But if you’re a cord cutter, you can also find Gaslight streaming on Xumo Play. If you’re not familiar, Xumo Play is an ad-supported streaming platform that is completely free and doesn’t require users to set up an account before streaming.
Gaslight was widely celebrated upon release, winning Oscars for Best Actress and Best Art Direction (Black-and-White). And it remains just as acclaimed to this day, with many high-profile fans like Carpenter. What’s more, the picture is now a permanent piece of pop culture psychology. The film’s title has since become synonymous with manipulative behavior that causes a person to question their own deeply held beliefs: gaslighting.
That is just about all that we’ve got for you at present, dear reader. Stay tuned to the site in the near future for more streaming recommendations from your favorite creators in the genre space.
Categorized: Streaming News
